Effects of cashew nut shell extract and monensin on in vitro ruminal fermentation, methane production, and ruminal bacterial community

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cashew nut shell extract (CNSE) and monensin on ruminal in vitro fermentation, CH4 production, and ruminal bacterial community structure. Treatments were as follows: control (CON, basal diet without additives); 2.5 μM monensin (MON); 0.1 mg CNSE granule/g DM (CNSE100); and 0.2 mg CNSE granule/g DM (CNSE200). Each treatment was incubated with 52 mL of buffered ruminal content and 500 mg of total mixed ration for 24 h using serum vials. The experiment was performed as a complete randomized block design with 3 runs. Run was used as a blocking factor. Each treatment had 5 replicates, in which 2 were used to determine nutrient degradability, and 3 were used to determine pH, NH3-N, volatile fatty acids, lactate, total gas, CH4 production, and bacterial community composition. Treatment responses for all data, excluding bacterial abundance, were analyzed with the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS v9.4. Treatment responses for bacterial community structure were analyzed with a PERMANOVA test run with the R package vegan. Orthogonal contrasts were used to test the effects of (1) additive inclusion (ADD: CON vs. MON, CNSE100, and CNSE200); (2) additive type (MCN: MON vs. CNSE100 and CNSE200); and (3) CNSE dose (DOS: CNSE100 vs. CNSE200). We observed that pH, acetate, and acetate:propionate ratio in the CNSE100 treatment were lower compared with CNSE200, and propionate in the CNSE100 treatment was greater compared with CNSE200. Compared with MON, CNSE treatments tended to decrease total lactate concentration. Total gas production of CON was greater by 2.63% compared with all treatments, and total CH4 production was reduced by 10.64% in both CNSE treatments compared with MON. Also, compared with MON, in vitro dry matter degradabilities in CNSE treatments were lower. No effects were observed for NH3-N or in vitro neutral detergent fiber degradability. Finally, the relative abundances of Prevotella, Treponema, and Schwartzia were lower, whereas the relative abundances of Butyrivibrio and Succinivibrio were greater in all treatments compared with CON. Overall, the inclusion of CNSE decreased CH4 production compared with MON, making CNSE a possible CH4 mitigation additive in dairy cattle diets.

Efficacy of verbascoside, echinacoside, crenatoside on altitude-induced fatigue in rats and possible mechanism

OBJECTIVE

To study the efficacy and mechanism of three phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs) (verbascoside, echinacoside, and crenatoside) on altitude-induced fatigue in rats.

METHODS

Altitude-induced fatigue model rats were established in a large hypobaric chamber. Swimming time, energy storage substances, metabolic enzymes, and metabolites were used to evaluate the anti-fatigue activities and mechanism of three PhGs (verbascoside, echinacoside, and crenatoside) (150 mg/kg, intragastric administration) in the hypoxic environment.

RESULTS

The three PhGs, especially verbascoside, could prolong the swimming time of rats, ameliorate the edema and inflammatory infiltration of liver and skeletal muscle, increase the level of energy storage substances, reduce the decomposition of proteins, and exhibit positive effects on the metabolism-related enzyme activity and metabolites.

CONCLUSIONS

The PhGs, especially verbascoside, are very potential with anti-fatigue activity in hypoxia. The mechanism may be explained with regulation of energy metabolism and reduction of oxidative stress.